What is back pain?

Back pain usually feels like an ache, tension or stiffness in the back.

Several things can cause it, including a sudden movement or fall, an injury, or a medical condition. The pain is usually related to the way the bones, discs, tendons, muscles and ligaments work together.

Most people experience lower back pain at some point in their life. Around 1 in 6 Australians have back pain each year. Most are of working age.

If you are experiencing back pain yourself, it is important not to restrict your movement too much. Even if your back is very painful, slow and gentle movements are better than lying still in bed. If you keep your back moving, it will become more supple and flexible.

Do I need an x-ray?

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and Australian Physiotherapy Association recommend that an x-ray in response to low back pain is only needed if you have other significant symptoms, such as problems with bladder and bowel control, severe pain or weakness or numbness in one or both legs.

For more information, visit the Choosing Wisely Australia website.

If your back pain lasts longer than 6 weeks, you should see your doctor, who will be able to provide advice and treatment if necessary.

More about back pain

• In 2014–15, an estimated 3.7 million (or 1 in 6) Australians had chronic back problems.
• It has been estimated that around 4 in every 5 people suffer from lower back pain in some form at some point in their lives. It affects men and women equally.
• Back problems are a common reason for pain among younger and middle-aged adults, but they can also start early in life – between the ages of 8 and 10.
• Pain is the key symptom in most back problems. One study of people with long-term back problems suggested that 1 in 7 experience constant or persistent pain, and nearly 9 out of 10 experience pain one day per week
• According to the National Hospital Morbidity Database, in 204-15 there were 126,579 hospitalisations with a principal diagnosis of a back problem. Common reasons for hospitalisations were:
  • low back pain (just over 1 in 4 hospitalisations for back problems)
  • disc problems when one or more nerve roots is affected and does not work properly (just over 1 in 10 hospitalisations)
  • narrowing of the spinal canal (spinal stenosis) (around 1 in every 14)

Last reviewed: June 2017